The Dark Paradise
by HelloTomorrow17
Summary: Thomas and a few other gladers have survived the Maze and the Scorch and have now been teleported away, just before the Maze blew up, killing all of WICKED. What will happen in the Paradise they have been teleported to? Will they know the truth about WICKED? Who will survive long enough to find out?
1. Chapter 1: Back to the Future

**_DISCLAIMER:_**

 ** _This story continues on from the ending of The Death Cure, originally by James Dashner. I do not own any characters, settings or ideas into the following story._**

 ** _WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ALL MAZE RUNNER BOOKS!  
_**

* * *

 _This is my first Fanfiction, so it may take me a while before I start getting use to it. Sorry if I drag on a bit or anything but please leave reviews. Any flashbacks are in italics.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - Back to the Future _(Thomas)_  
**

Where was this place?

As I woke, hills towered before the last few survivors. There were only a few of us left. Only a few of us who had made it through the trials and escaped WICKED. All the friends we had parted with in the last few months were gone forever. Even though the scenary was an amazing sight, I couldn't help thinking about the people that had died, because of me.

Chuck. Winston. Newt. Teresa.

All of them gone. Never to be seen ever again. It was as if I'd committed murder.

Just as tears started to appear before my eyes, Brenda called out from the distance. It was looking as if the others were starting to wake up. Ready to take in the views.

"Hey." She said as she started to walk towards me. "What's the matter now? Is this about yesterday?"

What could I say? I mean, she'd immediately found out why I was about to cry. I tried to ignore her, but all I could think about was her embrace in the scorch. The time when I told her she would never replace Teresa. But she would have to now. I ruined my life with Teresa.

"I wish they all could have seen this." I finally say.

"I wish they could too, but none of us would have been able to if they didn't sacrifice themselves. We're just lucky."

"They didn't need to die for us though." I say screaming at Brenda's face. "After all, we're still on the run."

"Are we? I thought we escaped all that." She sarcastically replied with as if she thought I was mad. But I couldn't help it, they were all my friends, and if I'd stopped WICKED when I had the chance before, none of this would have happened.

I eventually gasp between tears, "It was all... my... fault."

Just at that second, I remember when Newt had said, seconds before I killed him. He said exactly what I just said. And he was right. He made me see everything clearly, but now he was dead, he couldn't help any more at all.

"How? How is it your fault? You couldn't know what was going to happen."

"I remember what happened before I went into the Maze. I was with WICKED. They had kidnapped me from an early age. I shouldn't remember any of it. But I do. I remember it all."

"Sounds as if you have something to tell me."

"Well..."

 _I'd just left my mum, she had brought me here to try and keep me safe. Why couldn't she come as well though? Why did she have to live away from me, being attacked by the sun flares that struck our planet? She left without saying anything to me._

 _I was taken to somewhere remote. I had no idea where I was. But I knew I was with a load of other kids the same age as me. All of them except one. One woman stood inspecting all of us, watching our every move. What was she doing here?  
_

 _When we finally arrived at our safety, a huge compound loomed out of the ground, surrounded by sand. We had no idea what would happen, what they would do to us._

 _Men shoved us through a door in the side of the building, just to see a wrecked office, with no other ways out. Lights flashed to reveal a central computer. Then I realised something. I realised I was alone, everyone else was the other side of the piece of shattered glass, being lead by guards to somewhere else._

 _"Thomas," a voice called out. It was the same woman as on the train. "My name is Doctor Ava Paige. I am helping you through this time. We're sorry about your mother."  
_

 _I couldn't do anything. I could just stare through the window as hundreds of kids flocked into the building. One boy, though, with blonde hair stared straight at me. He must think I was trying to stop all of this. How could I be though? Was I not supposed to be here at all.  
_

 _I turned to try and run, but was stopped by three other kids stood behind me. "These are Teresa, Aris and Rachel. They have been chosen to help you."_

 _"Why would I need help?" I turn to Dr Paige and ask._

 _"Because you are going to help us, and you can't do that alone."_

 _"What are we going to do then?"_

 _"Follow me please."_

 _As we walked up the steps a screen flickered on before us._

 _"This is the Maze. It is above us. The are in the centre is the Glade. The kids that you saw earlier will be tested through this maze. They will know nothing about their previous lives until they find a way out. But I will say, the way out is down in the home of the Grievers. Grievers are mechanical robots that will haunt the passages of the Maze. Only the bravest and quickest can get through the Maze. Anyone left over will return to us and released back into the Scorch. One person will go to the Maze every month. As you can guess, you aren't here for your own safety, but you are helping us find a cure for the Flare. Only some of you are immune though, but none of you are infected at the moment. Do you agree on helping us?"  
_

 _We all nod in agreement, looking at each other as we decided. I had this thought in the back of my head that this shouldn't happen. What were they really going to do to them? Was it as simple as it sounds?  
_

 _A few weeks later, we had finished our training and it was time to send the first test subject into the Maze. We made our way to where a water filled cage was inserted into a wall in a seperate room. They brought the first person into the room._

 _"This is George, he will be the first to witness the Maze and Glade. This is where you now inject him with what we have developed, he will forget everything about us. Everything he ever knew. Everything except his name. Now, Teresa..."_

 _Teresa stepped forward, she was the most loyal of us all towards WICKED. She held the syringe in her right hand, stabbing it into George's arm. He immediately gasped and fell to his knees. A screen flickered behind us as we could now control everything about George's mind. It was almost torture. He was tied up and thrown into the water._

 _Minutes after, his body looked dead. Had we killed him? Drowned him? That was not part of the plan. I was not going to stand as a murderer when this was forced upon us. Then it moved. The cage jurked and started to move slowly upwards. Up into the Glade. He would now had to spend a month in the Glade alone until we sent someone else to join him._

 _After three years of doing the same each month, there were over 50 boys in the Glade, still with no idea of how to escape. WICKED were no closer to a cure. Was this almost a waste? Then I had a thought. What would happen to everyone who was not immune? Recently Dr Paige had been talking about a second phase of the trials, with them trying to survive the Scorch. Everyone who was not immune would die, possibly taking others with them. Maybe taking me. How could I let this happed? I couldn't keep on going. I couldn't keep on watching them die. I thought I knew the people I was helping, but I wasn't so sure now. I wasn't too late to stop all of this. Whatever happened, a lot of people would die. The world's population had already dropped by 5 billion. We wouldn't be able to find a cure in enough time anyway. I needed to stop them, or a lot of innocent people would die, and all because of the four of us who could fight against WICKED. All I had to do was find Ava Paige._

 _"Thomas!" It looked like I found her quicker than I expected. "Somethings gone wrong. And we need your help immediately." She held the same syringe that Teresa held when we sent the kids into the Glade._

 _"We need to send you into the Maze."_

"That doesn't make it your fault though. You were young." Brenda reassured me.

By the time I had finished explaining my story, some others had joined our conversation.

"So. That's how it happened." Minho now started with. "So it was Aris as well."

He turned to Aris as he said that. I knew what he was thinking. He was going to punish him for killing all of the kids who died during the Maze and Scorch trials.

"Hey, Aris!" Minho shouted across the paradise to where Aris was just waking up. "Come here a second!"

"What's the matter then Minho, I've only just woken up for God's sake." Aris yawned.

"Do you remember anything from before the Maze? Before you were brought into Group B."

"Well, I don't remember everything. But I remember Thomas. I remember being taken in by WICKED, being told by them that we would be safe. Then I remember seeing everyone disappear. One by one, every month. It was like clockwork. I don't remember anyone else in particular, but I can remember when Thomas was sent into the Glade. Rachel disappeared too. Me and Teresa stood and let it all happen. We did nothing. Then it was our turn. I remember Doctor Ava Paige telling us that we were needed as well, and we'd be sent as well if Thomas and Rachel didn't help our research. Then I remember water, feeling as if I was drowning. Then I was lifted into the Maze. Along with the rest of Group B. It was me and a load of girls."

"Some guys get all the luck." Minho sarcastically stated. "Shame you didn't stop WICKED when you had the chance."

"Minho, don't do this." I interrupted.

"Hang on, what?" Aris exclaimed as Minho pushed him up against a nearby tree. His arm on his throat, leaving Aris breathless. Minho's teeth bare as he screamed in the other boy's face.

"Why didn't you do it Aris? You and Thomas had a chance to save everyone. Save Rachel and Teresa. Save everyone who had died during WICKED's trials. Save Newt, Alby and all the rest of them. But instead you just stood there. You both stood there for 3 years watching us. Spying on us through the beetle blades. Controlling our minds. You are a murderer. Along with Thomas. If I could, I would banish you into the Maze. Both of you. Just like I did to Ben. And before you start, I didn't kill Ben. You did that. You contolled my mind to banish him."

"How did we know that all this would happen. It was over 3 years ago. We were kids." Aris managed to gasp.

"That makes no difference! You made all of this happen. We lost many friends because of you."

"Minho." I anxiously crept forward with. "We were being controlled ourselves. Doctor Ava Paige made this all happen. Not us. And she's dead. The Right Arm took care of that when they blew up the Maze. She was the one who killed innocent kids to get a cure. It was only meant to take a year. Not nearly four."

Minho relaxed his arm, letting Aris flop to the ground. "You shouldn't test me though. If I find out that you could have stopped them for good, something much worse will happen. Remember we still have guns from when we escaped the Maze."

"Thanks for reminding us. They may come in handy." I say just as Minho turns and walks back to the campsite we had made the night before.

Just as Minho groaned, I expected him to race back at me, pushing me against a tree, just as he did to Aris. But instead, I heard Brenda sniggering in the background, waiting for Minho to get far enough away to comment on my sarcasm.

But instead it was Frypan who had been hiding behind a tree away from Minho and commented as he immediately appeared. "That was shucking amazing that. Do you think he was serious though?"

"There's no reason for him to touch us at all. We were forced into this. Winston and Newt would have died anyway from the Flare, even if they weren't taken by WICKED. We might have been able to save some people, but there was a chance of saving millions more. We could have developed something which could have stopped the death rate. Stopped people turning into cranks. But we took too long. For all you know, they might have made the drug to stop the Flare after we left the Maze. They were still controlling us in the Scorch. But they forgot that when we were going to get our memories back. The original drug wore off everyone who went into the Maze at first. But..." I trailed off.

"What? What else, Thomas?" Frypan questioned me.

"But, that's why the Grievers were made. To reinforce the ability of WICKED controlling us. Everyone who was taken wasn't killed. I heard Doctor Paige saying something once. If the Grievers captured someone, they were taken back to the labs, and released into the Scorch. There could still be a chance for all of those that we taken. We'd just have to find them."

"Do you think that were saying the truth though? People can change their mind after three years."

"Well, I hope so. But they would have said something to us before we entered the Maze. And they said nothing. Unless they had something else to hide. They told us so little about the Maze."

"They must have known all along that we were going to go into the Maze." Aris interrupted, having recovered from Minho's attack. "They had this all planned out. But why would they want us to help? What did we do to make they want us?"

"They didn't need the help. They were testing us, without us even knowing." I replied with. "We were they key to all of this. They wanted to kill everyone after they had the Cure. Including us. They only needed the others as decoys so they could test us. They can't still have people from when the Grievers attacked. WICKED would have killed all of them. That's why it was only one a night when the End was triggered. They just wanted kids to be put through hell instead of being turned into cranks. People fell for all of this. Why didn't people see that?"

"Because you are wrong. Completely wrong." A strong female voice rattled from behind us. We all turned around in syncronisation.

It was Doctor Ava Paige.

* * *

 _I am hoping you enjoyed reading this chapter of The Dark Paradise. Please leave a review and I will welcome and suggestions for further chapters through Private Messaging. Chapter 2 should be out in a few days. Thanks for reading._


	2. Chapter 2: The Truth Revealed

**_DISCLAIMER:_**

 ** _This story continues on from the ending of The Death Cure, originally by James Dashner. I do not own any characters, settings or ideas into the following story._**

 ** _WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ALL MAZE RUNNER BOOKS!  
_**

* * *

 _Welcome back to my first Fanfiction. I am hoping that the next few chapters will all be exciting and leave on a cliffhanger. I also hope that you enjoy reading this chapter just as much as I enjoy writing them. I am introducing different character's points of view to make the story more interesting and it means we can see the story through different characters eyes and find out their feelings. However, most of the chapters at the beginning will be from Thomas' Point of View.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - The Truth Revealed _(Thomas)_  
**

Stood, inspecting us, just like back in the train, was Ava Paige. We thought we had killed her when the Right Arm blew up the Maze. But now, here she stood, alive.

"This can't be real." Minho whispered in my ear as he made his way back to the crowd that were all now facing the Doctor. But this was real. Doctor Ava Paige was alive. Even though the Maze was blown up, maybe there was a possibility that she did survive.

"It is Minho. I am alive." Ava Paige said emotionlessly. It was almost like we were just dreaming. As if we were just stood infront of a hologram in the middle of this paradise. "Your attempt of killing me and destroying the Maze didn't work. In fact, it killed more member of the Right Arm than those of WICKED. Why won't you understand? Thomas. Aris. Both of you were helping us. Both of you knew that there was hope. We needed you. We couldn't have done this without you."

"Well no. Because we were the only ones who really mattered to you. You didn't care about all of the other kids that you used ín the Maze. They could all just have died for all you cared. We were the key to the Cure. You weren't monitoring them. You were monitoring me and Aris. And we fell for it for three years. We should have stopped you when we had the chance. Newt was right. But we weren't strong enough. You controlled us. And we couldn't fight it. No one could. Then there was Teresa. Who betrayed us. She was the only one of us that was loyal to you. The whole thing was wasted. There is still no cure for the Flare. And now there never will be."

"This is where you're mistaken. There is still hope."

"That's exactly what you said when I was send into Group B. I'll never forget that." Aris now stepped in, joining the fight. "You said there was hope. Now nearly 6 months later, you say there still is, just after all your records and research have been blown up and destroyed."

"Everything you have heard is all wrong. You only blew up one of our mazes. The Group B Maze still stands. WICKED still have control over that. We are working harder than ever to find a cure. And we are so close."

"Are you still monitoring us? You wouldn't be able to do this otherwise." I inquistited Ava Paige. She said nothing in return, just stared emotionless back at us. "We aren't in a paradise, are we? We're not free at all." I turn to face the others. "This is..."

Ava Paige inturrepted. "You are correct Thomas. Welcome to Phase Three of the trials. These are the most important trials there are now."

We all stood stunned. All except me, I'd worked it all out. We had been decived from the beginning. None of this was at all possible otherwise.

"Where are we exactly? The whole world is covered by desert wasteland. The Scorch. And we are here in the middle of a field. A paradise. You can't tell me you build a third Maze. For when we escape. You said nothing about this."

"We built this just incase these trials had to go ahead. But this isn't a Maze. It's competely different. These trials will torture you. By all means, what is left of you could die. That's why we let you go through the Scorch and bring back others that never came from WICKED in the first place. But, Brenda here, did come from WICKED. She was actually one of the first doctors here. We came up with the idea together."

"What? Is that true?" I asked as I faced Brenda.

"I've only just found out about it though." Brenda confessed. "They took my memories after WICKED was set up and they've only just given them back to me. I'm sorry Thomas. If I knew earlier, I promise I would have told you. But I didn't."

"Look. Don't worry Brenda. They controlled everyone. Ignore what she says. She's a murderer. And she'll do anything to prove that she's not."

"That's because I'm not, Thomas."

"Really. Then what's in it for us? What do we have to do it these trials? In Phase Three?"

"Simple. You have to kill each other."

"Hang on, what did that shank just say?" Minho piped up from the background.

I responded, "She says she us to kill each other. Just like that."

"Why would you do that? After everything I did to help you, this is how you repay me. If Thomas says the truth, then he helped you as well. And for this?" Brenda stood as she spoke angrily.

"If you win though, you will be heavily rewarded."

"Don't listen to her. She's trying to mess inside our heads. I worked with her for three years, I know what she's capable of." I warned Brenda and the others.

"This is different, Thomas. Some of you are not immune to the Flare. And those of you who can still catch the virus will want to be cured. So that's what you're fighting for. The Cure."

"I thought you said there was no Cure. You said that you were still working on it in the other Maze that we didn't destroy."

"I lies. I do it often."

"Well, we realise that." Minho sarcastically said.

Ignoring him, Ava Paige continued. "I try not to get people's hopes up too soon. But you left me with no choice now but to tell you. We've had the Cure for weeks now. Anyway, what do you say? Would you rather kill each other or die a painful, slow death?"

"I know you said this would be torture, but this is ridiculous. How could you just sit back and watch us kill each other after what we've been through? You know, we were right about you. You are a murderer. And you're controlling us to do your dirty work and accomplish that. Of course we won't do this. Who do you think we are? All of us are immune anyway. We'd have died ages ago if we weren't. Newt and Winston died because of the Flare already." I grunted towards Ava Paige.

"Hang on a second." Minho interrupted. Surely he won't say that he wants to kill the rest of us. "You said you have had the Cure for weeks. Does that mean..."

"...we could have saved Winston and Newt?" Frypan exclaimed.

Ava Paige said nothing. Just looked guiltily towards all of us.

"How could you?" I heavily asked, shouting. "HOW COULD YOU?"

I pushed her against a tree, grabbing her throat to suffocate her, much in the same way Minho did to Aris just moments ago.

"I could kill you, you know?" I menicingly shook her.

"If you were to kill me, you would have no way of getting out. No way of escape."

"Thomas, ignore her, she's trying to save herself."

"Don't worry Minho, this is only the start of it." I turned to face Minho as I punched Ava Paige in the stomach.

"There is still something you don't know. Something you will find worth fighting for." She said as I started to take her breathe away. "You know, someone out there, one of your friends, is still alive. But barely. They need the Cure. They need you."

"Jorge is immune." Brenda appeared at my shoulder as I let go of Ava Paige, letting her fall to the ground. "Everyone else we know is dead. I lived with Jorge for many years of my life. I treat his like he was my father. I'd be there, if he was dying. And I'm not, so he isn't dying. Everything that comes out of your mouth is fake. You expect us to believe you, after everything you've done to us?"

"You had your chance, but I guess you won't be takin it then. Fine. So be it. I'll be taking my leave then. Have fun here. Dying."

A berg started to noisily fly down towards us, picking up Ava Paige by a ladder. She hung from it as she flew into the distance.

"Don't believe anything she just said. She'd a lier. Even she said she was. We've been here before, and we're all still alive." I warned everyone again as I walked away, back to the campsite.

As I reached the campsite, I looked back to find someone following me closely. On edge, I had no clue who it was until a had pushed me back away from the camp and behind some bushes and trees, away from the view of anyone else. **  
**

"Aris!" I screamed as I fell back against a tree trunk.

"What have you done, Thomas?"

"Hang on, what? What do you mean?"

"You've done something here, haven't you. Ava Paige wouldn't do this. You're going mad. She isn't doing this because she's a murderer. She's proving you wrong. When we were working together back in the Maze, as WICKED, you said that you didn't think this would get any worse that watching people being killed. I guess the only thing worse is killing them yourself."

"Aris, you don't understand. Every time I saw someone die in the Maze, I felt guilt. It wasn't even my place to feel it. It should have been her's. She wants us to kill each other. She wants us to all be dead so that no one will stand in her way. She said that when we blew up the Maze, we killed many people from the Right Arm. We are the only people standing in her way. And she's putting an end to that."

"But..."

Aris sighed as I made his see the truth that he was trying to not believe.

"I can't go through with this." I also sighed as I sat against the tree, next to Aris. "There must be an easier way to get out of here. We don't stand a chance if we just keep on killing each other. I don't want to go back to what happened when I was helping out WICKED. People died for no reason. And now they have the Cure, they have no reason to put us through any more trials. When we worked for them, Ava Paige said nothing about a Phase Three. It was just getting through the Maze and then crossing the Scorch. That was all the research she needed to be able to find a Cure. And she lied about that, I guess. She can't have got a Cure if she is still testing us."

"What if she isn't testing us. What is she just wants to get us out of her way. She knows we won't kill each other, and if there is no other way out of here, then we are stuck here, and she can continue with releasing the Cure. You said that we were the only people standing in her way. Well, we aren't now, are we? We can't get out of here until there is only one of us left."

"Hang on, there is another way." I exclaimed as I jumped up to face Aris.

"How? How else can we get out of here?"

"How did the berg get in here? You can't tell me that it just says here the whole time. This has the same problems as the Maze. There is no roof. We can just climb out and be free. Genius."

"Try telling that to the others. Minho seems to be the type who likes a fight. He won't do that. We watched him for years in the Maze. You know what he's like. He forced George back down the Box hole. Just to find that it was trapped."

"Well, that wasn't his fault. He was a runner. Someone who ran the Maze, trying to find a way out. He couldn't find any way out until I went up there myself. He would have done anything. They all thought they were in a prison. That they were trapped. He and Newt came up with the idea. As soon as I found out, I tried to control them to stop them. I knew that Ava Paige had put a trap there when she built the Glade. It didn't work. It was someone else who had died because of her. She will just keep on killing people until she dies herself. And if I get out of here someday, it won't be long before she is dead."

"I thought you said that you would feel too guilty if you killed someone."

"That doesn't apply to everyone. We all have those people who we just wish we could kill. And we would feel nothing towards at all. Originally that was Gally. Until I came back out of the Maze. Then it was Ava Paige. It has always been since then. I think quite a few people would agree with me there."

"That's because you're too forceful towards them. You don't like it if anything doesn't go your way. I knew you when we worked together in the Maze. You were near enough my only friend there. The only person who I could talk to."

"You know Aris, I've been thinking..."

"So have I." Minho naturally said as he stroll around a corner, into sight, facing us. "I've beeen thinking that maybe she was actually telling the truth. She's made you think that she's lying from your history. I think we will have to kill each other if we want to find out the truth."

"What are you trying to say, Minho?" Aris asked causiously.

"How else will we know? We a stuck here for the rest of our lives otherwise. I want to know the truth. And, to be honest, I will kill all of you to be able to find it out."

* * *

 _Thanks for reading Chapter 2 of my fanfiction. I am really pleased with it so far, but from now on will probably post every week. I know it is early, but I will not be able to publish until next week, so have an amazing Christmas, and if you don't celebrate it, then have a great time waiting for Chapter 3. I'm hoping to publish the next chapter on either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, but keep an eye out on my profile for any updates. Please leave a review or message me with any ideas you would like to see in the future. Thanks._


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